- I have listed out the first 100 Most Common Chinese Characters here.
- Continue from the list, here are the “101 to 200” most frequently used characters that we have learnt, making up around 50% of the usage of Chinese.
| Character | Usage | Pinyin | Date/Link | Meaning | |
| 1 | 日 | 58.0 | rì |
09-Sep-2009 | 1. (n) day; daytime 2. (adv) daily; every day; a day and a night 3. (n) sun |
| 2 | 军
軍 |
57.9 | jūn |
15-Apr-2010 | 1. (n) armed forces 2. (n) army |
| 3 | 者 | 57.7 | zhě |
25-May-2010 | 1. (pro) (used after a verb or adjective phrase to indicate a class of persons or things) one or those who; the thing or things which; -er 2. (pro) (used after a noun phrase ending with “work” or “ism” to indicate the person doing the stated work or holding the stated doctrine) -er; -ist 3. (pro) used with the numbers 二、三、数, etc. |
| 4 | 意 | 57.5 | yì |
07-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) meaning; idea; thought 2. (n) wish; desire; intention 3. (v) expect |
| 5 | 无
無 |
57.3 | wú |
15-Dec-2009 | 1. (v) not have; there is not; without 2. (n) nothing; nil 3. (adv) not 4. (conjunction) regardless of; no matter whether, what, etc. |
| 6 | 力 | 57.1 | lì |
19-Feb-2010 | 1. (n) [Physics] force 2. (n) power; strength; ability 3. (n) physical strength 4. (v) do all one can; make every effort |
| 7 | 它 | 56.9 | tā |
27-May-2009 | 1. (pro) (referring to an animal, a thing or a matter) it 2. (pro) (plural (它们)) they; them |
| 8 | 与
與 |
56.8 | yǔ |
26-Feb-2010 | 1. (v) give; offer; grant 2. (prep) (used to indicate involvement, relationship, etc.) with 3. (prep) used to introduce the recipient of an action 4. (conjunction) and |
| 9 | 长
長 |
56.6 | cháng |
13-Jan-2010 | 1. (adj) (of space or time) long 2. (n) length 3. (n) strong point |
| 10 | 把 | 56.4 | bǎ |
16-Feb-2010 | 1. (v) hold 2. (prep) used to shift the object to before the verb, which must be reduplicated or accompanied by some other word or expression 3. (n) handle (of a pushcart, etc.) 4. (measure word) for something with a handle 5. (prep) guard; watch 6. (v) guard; watch |
| 11 | 机
機 |
56.2 | jī |
16-Apr-2010 | 1. (n) machine; engine 2. (n) aircraft; aeroplane 3. (n) pivot; crucial point 4. (n) chance; opportunity 5. (n) flexible; quick-witted 6. (adj) flexible; quick-witted |
| 12 | 十 | 56.0 | shí |
15-Aug-2011 | 1. (num) ten |
| 13 | 民 | 55.9 | mín |
26-May-2010 | 1. (n) the people 2. (n) person 3. (n) civilian 4. (n) folk |
| 14 | 第 | 55.7 | dì |
16-Dec-2009 | 1. (n) used before numerals to form ordinal numbers |
| 15 | 公 | 55.5 | gōng |
09-Jul-2009 | 1. (adj) public; state-owned; collective 2. (adj) equitable; impartial; fair; just 3. (adj) male (of animals) 4. (n) husband’s father; father-in-law |
| 16 | 此 | 55.4 | cǐ |
29-Apr-2010 | 1. (pro) this 2. (pro) here and now |
| 17 | 已 | 55.2 | yǐ |
02-Jun-2010 | 1. (v) stop; cease; end 2. (adv) already |
| 18 | 工 | 55.0 | gōng |
23-Jun-2009 | 1. (n) worker; workman; the working class 2. (n) work; labour 3. (n) (construction) project |
| 19 | 使 | 54.9 | shǐ |
15-Jun-2010 | 1. (v) use, employ, apply 2. (v) make, cause, enable 3. (n) envoy |
| 20 | 情 | 54.7 | qíng |
04-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) feeling 2. (n) love; passion 3. (n) kindness 4. (n) situation; circumstances; condition |
| 21 | 明 | 54.6 | míng |
16-Jun-2009 | 1. (adj) bright; brilliant; light 2. (adj) clear; distinct 3. (adj) immediately following in time 4. (v) understand; know |
| 22 | 性 | 54.4 | xìng |
17-Nov-2010 | 1. (n) character; disposition 2. (n) function; property 3. (n) gender 4. (n) sex |
| 23 | 知 | 54.2 | zhī |
14-Jun-2010 | 1. (v) know; realize; be aware of 2. (v) inform; notify; tell 3. (n) knowledge |
| 24 | 全 | 54.1 | quán |
03-Jun-2010 | 1. (adj) complete 2. (adj) whole; entire; full; total 3. (adv) completely; entirely 4. (v) make complete; keep intact |
| 25 | 三 | 53.9 | sān |
08-Aug-2011 | 1. (num) three 2. (num) third 3. (num) several 4. (num) a few |
| 26 | 又 | 53.8 | yòu |
08-Jun-2010 | 1. (adv) again 2. (adv) both … and … 3. (adv) too 4. (adv) another 5. (adv) but 6. (adv) but |
| 27 | 关
關 |
53.6 | guān |
28-Jul-2010 | 1. (v) shut; close 2. (v) turn off 3. (v) shut in; lock up 4. (v) (of a business) close down 5. (v) customs 6. (n) customs |
| 28 | 点
點 |
53.5 | diǎn |
29-Jul-2010 | 1. (n) o’clock 2. (n) drop (of liquid) 3. (n) dot; point 4. (n) aspect; feature 5. (v) drip 6. (v) drip |
| 29 | 正 | 53.3 | zhèng |
06-Oct-2010 | 1. (adj) straight; upright 2. (adj) situated in the middle; main 3. (adj) correct; right 4. (adj) punctually; sharp 5. (adj) just; right; precisely; exactly 6. (adv) just; right; precisely; exactly |
| 30 | 业
業 |
53.2 | yè |
29-Nov-2010 | 1. (n) industry 2. (n) occupation; profession 3. (n) course of study 4. (n) enterprise 5. (n) already 6. (adv) already |
| 31 | 外 | 53.0 | wài |
09-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) outer; outward; outside 2. (adj) foreign; external 3. (adj) not of the same organization, class, etc.; not closely related 4. (adv) besides; in addition; beyond |
| 32 | 将
將 |
52.9 | jiāng |
26-Jul-2010 | 1. (adv) be going to; be about to; will 2. (prep) used to shift the object to before the verb, which must be accompanied by some other expression 3. (v) support; take; use 4. (v) Chinese chess check |
| 33 | 两
兩 |
52.7 | liǎng |
04-Aug-2011 | 1. (num) two 2. (num) a few 3. (n) both 4. (measure word) unit of weight, equal to 50 grams |
| 34 | 高 | 52.5 | gāo |
16-Jul-2009 | 1. (adj) tall; high 2. (adj) of a high level or degree; |
| 35 | 间
間 |
52.4 | jiān |
01-Mar-2010 | 1. (n) between; among 2. (measure word) used for rooms 3. (n) room 4. (n) within a definite time or space |
| 36 | 由 | 52.2 | yóu |
03-Jan-2011 | 1. (prep) by; through; via 2. (prep) because of; due to 3. (prep) from 4. (prep) by means of 5. (n) pass through; go by way of 6. (v) pass through; go by way of |
| 37 | 问
問 |
52.1 | wèn |
29-Mar-2010 | 1. (v) ask; inquire 2. (v) send regards to 3. (v) interrogate; examine 4. (v) ask (somebody) for sth |
| 38 | 很 | 51.9 | hěn |
01-Jun-2009 | 1. (adv) very; very much; |
| 39 | 最 | 51.8 | zuì |
21-Jan-2010 | 1. (adv) most |
| 40 | 重 | 51.7 | zhòng |
13-Jan-2011 | 1. (n) weight 2. (adj) heavy 3. (adj) considerable in amount or value 4. (adj) deep; heavy; serious 5. (adj) lay stress on; attach importance to 6. (v) lay stress on; attach importance to |
| 41 | 并
並;併 |
51.5 | bìng |
31-Jan-2011 | 1. (v) combine; merge 2. (v) stand or place side by side 3. (adv) side by side; equally 4. (adv) simultaneously 5. (adv) and; besides 6. (conjunction) and; besides |
| 42 | 物 | 51.4 | wù |
02-Feb-2010 | 1. (n) thing; matter 2. (n) the outside world as distinct from oneself; other people 3. (n) content; substance |
| 43 | 手 | 51.2 | shǒu |
06-Oct-2009 | 1. (n) hand; mitt 2. (n) a person doing or good at a certain job 3. (measure word) used for skill or dexterity |
| 44 | 应
應 |
51.1 | yīng |
27-Jul-2010 | 1. (v) should; ought to 2. (v) answer; respond 3. (v) agree; promise |
| 45 | 战
戰 |
50.9 | zhàn |
11-Nov-2010 | 1. (n) war 2. (v) fight 3. (v) shiver; tremble |
| 46 | 向
嚮 |
50.8 | xiàng |
14-Jul-2010 | 1. (n) direction 2. (v) face; turn towards 3. (v) take somebody’s part; side with; be partial to 4. (prep) to; towards; in the direction of |
| 47 | 头
頭 |
50.6 | tóu |
14-Oct-2009 | 1. (n) head 2. (n) hair (头发） 3. (n) beginning or end 4. (adj) leading; first |
| 48 | 文 | 50.5 | wén |
13-Jul-2010 | 1. (n) writing; script 2. (n) written language 3. (n) literary composition; essay 4. (n) culture 5. (n) civilian; civil 6. (adj) civilian; civil |
| 49 | 体
體 |
50.4 | tǐ |
11-Jun-2009 | 1. (n) body or part of the body 2. (v) personally do or experience something; put oneself in another’s position 3. (n) substance |
| 50 | 政 | 50.2 | zhèng |
17-Jan-2011 | 1. (n) politics; political affairs 2. (n) certain administrative aspects of government 3. (n) affairs of a family or an organization |
| 51 | 美 | 50.1 | měi |
04-Feb-2010 | 1. (adj) beautiful; pretty 2. (adj) very satisfactory; good 3. (n) beauty 4. (v) beautify; prettify |
| 52 | 相 | 49.9 | xiāng |
23-Apr-2010 | 1. (adv) each other; one another; mutually 2. (adv) indicating an action performed by one person toward another 3. (v) see for oneself (whether somebody or something is to one’s liking) |
| 53 | 见
見 |
49.8 | jiàn |
06-May-2009 | 1. (v) see; catch sight of 2. (v) meet; call on 3. (n) view; opinion |
| 54 | 被 | 49.7 | bèi |
17-Feb-2010 | 1. (n) quilt 2. (prep) by; used in a passive sentence to introduce either the doer of the action or the action if the doer is not mentioned 3. (particle) used to form a set phrase with a passive meaning |
| 55 | 利 | 49.5 | lì |
07-Oct-2010 | 1. (adj) sharp 2. (adj) favourable; smooth 3. (n) advantage; benefit 4. (n) profit; interest |
| 56 | 什 | 49.4 | shén |
22-Jul-2009 | 1. (pro) what 2. (pro) something 3. (pro) anything 4. (pro) whatever (used correlatively with another 什么) |
| 57 | 二 | 49.3 | èr |
05-Aug-2011 | 1. (num) two 2. (adj) different |
| 58 | 等 | 49.1 | děng |
21-Apr-2010 | 1. (n) class; grade 2. (n) kind; sort 3. (v) equal 4. (v) wait 5. (v) and so on; and so forth 6. (particle) and so on; and so forth |
| 59 | 产
産 |
49.0 | chǎn |
09-Jul-2010 | 1. (v) give birth to 2. (v) produce 3. (n) product 4. (n) property; estate |
| 60 | 或 | 48.8 | huò |
26-Apr-2010 | 1. (adv) maybe; probably 2. (conjunction) or; either… or… |
| 61 | 新 | 48.7 | xīn |
27-Apr-2010 | 1. (adj) new 2. (adv) newly; freshly; recently |
| 62 | 己 | 48.6 | jǐ |
21-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) self |
| 63 | 制
製 |
48.5 | zhì |
15-Nov-2010 | 1. (v) make; manufacture 2. (v) work out; formulate 3. (v) restrict; control 4. (n) system |
| 64 | 身 | 48.3 | shēn |
10-Jun-2009 | 1. (n) body 2. (n) life 3. (n) oneself; personally |
| 65 | 果 | 48.2 | guǒ |
01-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) fruit 2. (n) result; outcome 3. (adj) resolute; determined 4. (adv) really; as expected |
| 66 | 加 | 48.1 | jiā |
22-Jun-2010 | 1. (v) add; plus 2. (v) increase; augment 3. (v) put in; add; append 4. (v) used in the same way as 加以 usually after a monosyllabic adver |
| 67 | 西 | 47.9 | xī |
30-Sep-2009 | 1. (n) west 2. (n) occidental; western 3. (n) 东西 – things |
| 68 | 斯 | 47.8 | sī |
12-Jan-2011 | 1. (pro) (Literary) this 2. (conjunction) (Literary) then; thus |
| 69 | 月 | 47.7 | yuè |
08-Sep-2009 | 1. (n) month 2. (adj) monthly 3. (n) the moon |
| 70 | 话
話 |
47.6 | huà |
01-Apr-2010 | 1. (n) word; talk 2. (v) talk about; speak about |
| 71 | 合 | 47.4 | hé |
30-Sep-2010 | 1. (v) close; shut 2. (v) join; combine 3. (v) suit; agree 4. (v) be equal to; add up to |
| 72 | 回 | 47.3 | huí |
13-Aug-2009 | 1. (v) return; go back 2. (v) answer; reply 3. (v) turn around |
| 73 | 特 | 47.2 | tè |
19-Jul-2010 | 1. (adj) special; particular 2. (adv) especially 3. (adv) extremely 4. (v) secret agent |
| 74 | 代 | 47.1 | dài |
22-Feb-2011 | 1. (v) take the place of; be in place of 2. (v) acting; act as 3. (n) historical period 4. (n) era 5. (n) generation 6. (measure word) generation |
| 75 | 内 | 47.0 | nèi |
10-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) inside; inner part or side 2. (n) within; in; inside 3. (n) inner; internal 4. (n) one’s wife or her relatives |
| 76 | 信 | 46.8 | xìn |
24-Sep-2009 | 1. (v) to believe 2. (n) letter; mail 3. (n) message; word; news |
| 77 | 表
錶 |
46.7 | biǎo |
23-Jul-2010 | 1. (n) watch 2. (n) appearance; surface 3. (n) meter 4. (n) table; form 5. (n) model 6. (n) model |
| 78 | 化 | 46.6 | huà |
16-Nov-2010 | 1. (v) change; turn; transform 2. (v) convert; influence 3. (v) melt; dissolve 4. (v) digest 5. (v) die 6. (v) die |
| 79 | 老 | 46.5 | lǎo |
10-Mar-2011 | 1. (adj) old (not young) 2. (adj) old (not new) 3. (adj) experienced; veteran 4. (adj) (of food) well-done; tough 5. (n) always 6. (adv) always |
| 80 | 给
給 |
46.4 | gěi |
29-Oct-2009 | 1. (v) give; grant; offer 2. (prep) for the benefit of; for the sake of; for 3. (prep) to 4. (particle) used before a verb for emphasis |
| 81 | 世 | 46.3 | shì |
04-Nov-2010 | 1. (n) life 2. (n) generation 3. (n) age 4. (n) world |
| 82 | 位 | 46.2 | wèi |
03-Mar-2010 | 1. (n) place; location 2. (n) position 3. (n) (Mathematics) place; figure; digit 4. (measure word) used for people (polite) |
| 83 | 次 | 46.0 | cì |
16-Jul-2010 | 1. (n) ranking; position in a series 2. (adj) second; next 3. (adj) inferior; second-rate 4. (measure word) occurrence; time |
| 84 | 度 | 45.9 | dù |
13-Dec-2010 | 1. (n) linear measure 2. (n) degree of intensity 3. (n) limit; extent; degree 4. (n) tolerance; magnanimity 5. (n) a unit of measurement for angles, temperature, etc.; degree 6. (measure word) a unit of measurement for angles, temperature, etc.; degree |
| 85 | 门
門 |
45.8 | mén |
24-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) door 2. (n) valve; switch 3. (n) knack 4. (n) school of thought |
| 86 | 任 | 45.7 | rèn |
10-Dec-2010 | 1. (v) assign somebody to a post; appoint 2. (v) assume a post; take up a job 3. (v) undertake; bear 4. (v) let; allow; give free reign to 5. (n) used for the number of terms served in a position, or the nth person to hold this position 6. (measure word) used for the number of terms served in a position, or the nth person to hold this position |
| 87 | 常 | 45.6 | cháng |
11-Feb-2010 | 1. (adj) ordinary; common; normal 2. (adj) frequent 3. (adj) constant; invariable 4. (adv) frequently; often; usually |
| 88 | 先 | 45.5 | xiān |
30-Jul-2010 | 1. (adj) earlier; before doing something else 2. (adv) (used with a negative word “不” , “别” , etc.) for the time being 3. (adj) late; deceased 4. (n) elder generation; ancestor |
| 89 | 海 | 45.4 | hǎi |
08-Mar-2010 | 1. (n) sea or ocean 2. (n) lake 3. (n) a great number of people or things coming together 4. (adj) extra large |
| 90 | 通 | 45.3 | tōng |
07-Dec-2010 | 1. (v) open; through 2. (v) lead to; go to 3. (adj) connect; communicate 4. (v) understand; know 5. (adj) all; whole 6. (adj) all; whole |
| 91 | 教 | 45.2 | jiāo |
01-Aug-2011 | 1. (v) teach; instruct; take; tutor |
| 教 | 45.2 | jiào |
03-Aug-2011 | 1. (v) teach 2. (n) religion |
|
| 92 | 儿
兒 |
45.1 | ér |
12-Jul-2010 | 1. (n) child 2. (n) youngster 3. (n) son 4. (adj) male |
| 93 | 原 | 45.0 | yuán |
04-Aug-2010 | 1. (adj) original; primary 2. (adj) unprocessed; raw 3. (v) forgive; excuse 4. (n) plain; level |
| 94 | 东
東 |
44.9 | dōng |
29-Sep-2009 | 1. (n) east 2. (n) master; owner 3. (n) host |
| 95 | 声
聲 |
44.7 | shēng |
11-Jun-2010 | 1. (n) sound; voice 2. (n) reputation 3. (v) make a sound 4. (n) (measure word) used for sounds |
| 96 | 提 | 44.6 | tí |
15-Jul-2010 | 1. (v) carry (in one’s hand with the arm down) 2. (v) lift; raise 3. (v) bring forward 4. (v) put forward; bring up 5. (v) mention; refer to 6. (v) mention; refer to |
| 97 | 立 | 44.5 | lì |
21-Jul-2010 | 1. (v) stand 2. (v) set or stand something up; erect 3. (v) establish; set up 4. (v) draw up; conclude |
| 98 | 及 | 44.4 | jí |
31-May-2010 | 1. (v) reach 2. (v) be in time for 3. (v) be as good as 4. (conjunction) and; as well as |
| 99 | 比 | 44.3 | bǐ |
28-Apr-2010 | 1. (v) compare 2. (v) compete 3. (v) gesture; gesticulate 4. (v) liken to; compare to 5. (v) to (in a score) 6. (prep) to (in a score) |
| 100 | 员
員 |
44.2 | yuán |
01-Aug-2011 | 1. (n) a person engaged in some field of activity 2. (n) member 3. (measure word) for general |
